History of Anchor Stone

Anchor Stones (Anker Steinbaukasten) are high quality sets of stone building blocks for child and grown-up alike.

Anchor Stone blocks are all natural, being composed of a mixture of sand quartz, chalk and linseed oil. They look and feel like real stone. The blocks are manufactured in three colors to simulate terra cotta brick, natural sandstone and the blue slate of European roof tiles. This gives the finished structures a lifelike quality. Anchor Stones are hand-finished to a high degree of accuracy, making it possible to build very complex structures. The weight and texture of the blocks are sufficient to hold the building together. There is no need for glue nor other fixings.

The first Anchor Stone sets were brought to world fame in 1880 by the toy manufacturer Richter of Rudolfstadt, Thuringia. Thuringia is in East Germany and was under communist rule after World War II. The communist forbid the production of Anchor Stone claiming it did not comply with communistic ideals. It wasn't until 1995 that Anchor Stone sets were again manufactured, adhering to the original, authentic process, which has proven to be of very good quality for over a hundred years. Some of the original sets have already found their way into museums.